A madras is a light fabric, preferably cotton, with cords set at intervals or with woven check or stripe patterns, often of another color. The soft, thin fabric, typically of a light gauze-like weave, often has heavier yarns or threads in it at intervals and is used to make clothes such as shirts. The fabric is named for the Madras province in India where it originated. The madras fabrics from India were woven by hand and dyed with the extracts of various vegetable matter and other things peculiar to the Madras province of India.
Bleeding madras is a type of madras wherein the yarn has been dyed in a special way so that upon each washing, the fabric bleeds a little. By bleeding is meant that some of the dye is released from the yarn and runs, discoloring some of the surrounding fabric. The unique property of a bleeding madras is that the overall appearance of the fabric changes as the dye is released with each washing. The madras fabrics from India bleed and tint the uncolored areas and also give the fabric a very peculiar smell because of the nature of the dyes used.
Besides the smell, one disadvantage with bleeding madras from India was that the natural dyes caused skin problems for factory workers making garments from the fabric. Another disadvantage with bleeding madras from India was its slow and intermittent delivery. The supply could not keep up with the demand in the United States. Additionally, the choice of patterns was limited and the yardage available in each pattern was limited.
As a result of these disadvantages, in the mid-1960's fabric finishers introduced a domestic fabric which simulated the Indian bleeding madras in patterning, bleeding characteristics and home-spun appearance. One such domestic bleeding madras was marketed under the Del-Hi label by Cold Spring Bleachery. These domestic bleeding madrases were typically made from cotton yarn of the same size which had been dyed with special dyes which would enable it to bleed. The different colored cotton yarns were then woven to form the check, stripe or cord patterns which gave the appearance of using yarns of different thicknesses.
The disadvantage with these domestic bleeding madrases is that they are very difficult and time consuming to produce. The fabrics have to be woven in varying amounts from yarns of many different colors. This is a very time consuming and labor intensive process to ensure that the resulting patterns contain the right amount of colored yarn in the right places. Additionally, the dyeing process for the yarn to enable it to bleed is very time consuming.
It would be desirable to have a better and more efficient process for producing a bleeding madras.